Metro mayor plans for climate change teachers in every school

Labour’s Jamie Driscoll is proposing that every state school in his North of Tyne area should have at least one UN-accredited climate change teacher.

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A newly-elected mayor is planning to have trained climate change teachers in every school in his area in what would be a world first.

Labour metro mayor Jamie Driscoll wants pupils to have the best education on environmental issues and is proposing that every state school in his North of Tyne area should have at least one UN-accredited climate change teacher.

His proposal, which was passed at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, would see teachers take an online training of 15-20 hours to gain the necessary knowledge to teach children of all ages.

Mr Driscoll, who declared a climate emergency on his first day of office in May, said the North of Tyne would become the first region in the world to achieve this goal.

He said: “Future generations are the ones who will suffer most.

“This is making sure that everybody is getting that world-class environmental education.”

Each state-funded school in the combined authority area will now have the opportunity to train one member of staff as a UN accredited climate change teacher.